Editor's note: This article has been updated since first published to reflect new numbers affecting a school board race.
Murphy – Dan Eichenbaum and Cal Stiles lost their reelection bids on Tuesday, and between Republican Steve Coleman or Democrat Judith Bodley in District 3, it will change the face of Cherokee County politics starting in December.
With a voter turnout of 19.4%, the 2026 county commissioner races were just as hard on incumbents as the 2024 races, when then-incumbents Randy Phillips and Jan Griggs lost.
In other key races, Chris Wood, who was appointed sheriff to replace Dustin Smith, who resigned, won handily for sheriff. And David Ricks defeated incumbent school board member Jeannie Gaddis.
Election results will still need to be certified. The Cherokee County Board of Elections will conduct a sample hand/eye count on Thursday and a county canvass will be held on March 13.
Board of commissioners Republican primary
Eichenbaum and Stiles were the most senior members on the board of commissioners. With them out, Alan Bryant, who is chairman of the board this year, and Mark Stiles will be the most senior with just two years on the board each by December.
District 1 (Andrews) Commissioner Stiles came in second in a three-candidate field, losing to retired Cherokee County Schools superintendent Jeana Conley. Conley won with a commanding 52.8% of the vote. Former long-time Andrews alderman and one-time county commissioner Steve Jordan came in third.
District 4 (southwest county) Commissioner Eichenbaum came in third out of three active candidates for the seat, with Sue Lynn Ledford, executive director of Four Square Community Action, Inc., winning with 45.42% of the vote and avoiding a runoff. Retail manager Barry Killian came in second with 33.93% of the vote. Eichenbaum won just 18.4% of the vote. A fourth candidate, Tom O’Leske, dropped out and backed Killian. O’Leske still received 88 votes, or 2.18% of votes cast.
In District 3 (Murphy area), Commissioner Ben Adams didn’t run. Steve Coleman, chairman of the Cherokee County Board of Education, won that race with 53.97% of the vote against Mark Stalcup.
School board Republican primary
With Coleman’s at-large seat on the school board undefended, former commissioner Randy Phillips won against Andrews businessman Stephen Dartez with 59.92% of the vote.
Incumbent District 2 (Murphy) school board member Jeannie Gaddis was narrowly defeated by Cherokee County Code Enforcement Official David Ricks. Ricks received 50.62% of the vote and won by by just 57 votes.
Incumbent District 3 (Hiwassee Dam) school board members Jason Murphy and Shannon Raper came in first and second with 44.32% and 31.24% of the vote, respectively. Gary Butler came in third.
Sheriff Republican primary
Chris Wood won against Sam May for sheriff with 80.55% of the vote. Dustin Smith, who resigned in February at the urging of District Attorney Ashley Welch and who dropped out of the election, still got 8.31% of the vote.
Wood was recommended to fill the vacancy left from Smith’s resignation by the Cherokee County Republican Party and appointed by the board of commissioners. He will finish his temporary term and then take elected office in December.
Unopposed races
Several Democratic candidates ran unopposed and will face winners in the Republican primaries in the November General Election.
Rex Cable is running for Cherokee County Board of Commissioners District 1 against Jeana Conley.
Judith Bodley is running for Cherokee County Board of Commissioners District 3 against Coleman.
Joy Stein is running for Cherokee County Board of Education District 3 against Jason Murphy and Shannon Raper for the two seats on in that race.
Unaffiliated candidates
Unaffiliated candidates running for school board at large seats against Randy Phillips in November are Tom Beasley and Flip Watson.
Carmen Garland has told her supporters she has collected enough petition signatures to qualify as an unaffiliated candidate for the District 3 school board seat, but her name has not yet shown up on the State Board of Elections website.
Other races
Mirroring statewide results, Cherokee County voters picked Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Watley for U.S. senator; and Democrat Jamie Ager and incumbent Republican Chuck Edwards for District 11 U.S. representative.
Andrews Police Chief Caleb won 33.51% of the vote in a field of six Republican candidates for Graham County sheriff, avoiding a runoff. He will face Democrat Reba Louanne Jenkins McMahan in the November General Election.